The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 236 National University League (1)

The prestigious ‘Colosseo Academy,’ the empire’s top university, was buzzing with an unusual atmosphere these days. The reason behind it was the approaching date of the annual event where the top universities of the empire gathered for a joint competition.

‘National University League.’

A yearly event where four universities representing the empire gathered in one place to determine their superiority. Colosseo Academy consistently maintained the highest grades in the annual university evaluations, but the other three universities were not to be underestimated.

Colosseo Academy

Varangian Academy (Military Academy)

Mage Tower

Temisquira Women’s College,

Following closely behind Colosseo Academy were the formidable universities of Varangian Academy, Mage Tower, and Themisquira Women’s College.

Varangian Academy, located in the northern region, was renowned for its focus on cold weapons such as swords, spears, axes, and bows—a specialized university for martial training.

Mage tower, situated in the eastern region, was also a specialized university known for its emphasis on the path of magic. Those who walked the path of magic gathered here to pursue their studies.

Temisquira, a comprehensive university in the southern region, had an education system most similar to Colosseo Academy. Students could choose their major based on talents, aptitude, and preferences, selecting either cold weapons or hot weapons (magic). Additionally, they could choose other fields of study as minors, double majors, or electives. The key difference was that Temisquira limited its admissions to female students only, except for extremely exceptional cases.

Now, with the impending confrontation with these formidable rivals, the atmosphere at Colosseo Academy was tense, akin to the eve of a stormy battle.

Among the first-year students of Colosseo, Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire, felt it intensely.

“It’s my first time meeting people from other schools.”

“Being first is tough. Even if you do well, it’s just breaking even; if you fail, it’s a humiliating loss.”

“I’m a bit nervous. Can I do well?”

“Why be nervous? You’re doing well even at Colosseo.”

“Yeah, yeah~ In the end, we’re all the same age!”

Being freshmen, they were naturally curious about the cultures and academic styles of other schools. Meanwhile, Sinclaire and Sancho, having experienced entrance exams at other schools, were attracting the attention of students from different institutions.

“Come to think of it, didn’t Sancho take first place in the Varangian Academy entrance exam?”

“Those guys must be grinding their teeth whenever they see Sancho.”

“Why would they grind their teeth?”

“Of course, they would. He abandoned their school and came to Colosseo. Would that make them look good?”

“Then Sinclaire is in even bigger trouble, huh? She was first in the entrance exams for both Mage Tower and Temisquira.”

“I don’t know, but there must be a lot of people from those schools who are itching to compete with her.”

Indeed, Sinclaire was a monster who ranked first in all entrance exams for universities with magic departments such as Mage Tower, Temisquira, and even Colosseo.

Even though Tudor didn’t know, it seemed clear that Sinclaire would attract envious glances.

At that moment, a male student draped in a black cloak appeared with an arrogant demeanor.

“Don’t worry, dim-witted friends. I will personally participate in the competition and provide some proper education to these inferior beings.”

It was Granola Reviadon, a recent addition to the clan faction, who had become quite arrogant since joining.

Tudor, who usually didn’t think much of Granola, retorted, “Hey, know-it-all. Are you participating in the competition too?”

“What insolence is that!? Don’t you know that there are no grade restrictions for this competition? Anyone can participate, be it a 1st year, 3rd year, or even someone about to graduate!”

“Who asked?”

Tudor quickly lost interest and turned his head, but Granola’s lecturing and explanatory tendencies seemed unyielding.

“Allow me to explain the nature and rules of the competition to you immature ones.”

The formal name of the competition held by the four university leagues is the ‘Olympiad Survival Challenge,’ also known as ‘Battle Royal Ground Zero.’

In a randomly designated spacious area, a total of 400 students will warp, and the task is to survive in any way possible within the limited time.

Everyone wears HP suits and engages in the game; automatic elimination occurs when their HP reaches 0.

The top 10 students in the survival competition are awarded artifacts, stored in a treasure warehouse jointly managed by the four universities.

“Now that I’ve explained it in such detail, refrain from doing anything that would trip me up at the competition site.”

Granola concluded his explanation with a self-satisfied attitude.

At that moment, someone brushed past Granola’s shoulders.

“Oh, what’s this? Who dares to touch my noble body…?”

Granola turned his head with an annoyed expression.

There stood a tall male student with black hair and red eyes.

“Well.”

Highbro Baskerville, one of the strongest in the Cold Department, was looking down at Granola.

“…”

Granola glanced silently at Highbro’s face…

Even the usually arrogant Granola was aware.

He knew how much of a stubborn and headstrong character Highbro was…

“Oh, never mind.”

“…Idiot.”

Then Highbro abruptly turned and walked away.

“…Idiot.”

“…Idiot.”

What made it even more infuriating was the voices of Middlebro and Lowbro which followed right after him. Left alone, Granola started to tremble.

“Those crazy bastards! Even if all three of them ganged up on me, I would have given them a run for their money! Ah, damn it, the odds are stacked against me, the gangsters!”

Everyone was looking at Granola with dubious eyes.

At that moment, Highbro, Middlebro, and Lowbro were joined by another male student walking towards them. Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire enthusiastically shouted when they saw his face.

“Vikir! Over here!”

“Good morning, my friends.”

“I heard rumors about your romance, Vikir~”

“Is that true? No way, right? Is it really the Student Council President?”

“Ah, no way! Of course not! Big Brother said he’s not interested in dating!”

Friends surrounded Vikir and started discussing the upcoming competition.

“But is the rumor about the romance true?”

“They say it’s not Vikir… Anyway, this time, it seems like there’s no grade restriction for participation. If there are 100 students allocated for each school, there will be around 20 freshmen.”

“Right. The real aces are the third-year students. Fourth-year students usually don’t participate as a tradition.”

“Probably 50 third-year students, 30 second-year students, and around 20 freshmen?”

“Since we did well on the midterms, we’ll be definitely included.”

The conversation eventually focused on Vikir.

Tudor asked, “So, Vikir, how should we form our teams? It seems scores are evaluated individually, but the participation itself is done in teams, right? It’s 5 members per team.”

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, Sinclaire, and Vikir – the usual group size is 6, making it a bit tricky to form teams for everyone. It might be better to split into two groups of 3.

“Yeah. Let’s go with two groups of 3, and each group can have two members from different groups. Now, Vikir, you’re in our group for now.”

“What? Why are you taking Vikir so casually?”

“Right! This should be decided fairly with a draw!”

“I want to be in Vikir’s group!”

“I agree! I want to be in the same group as Big brother this time!”

In the situation where two teams were forming, everyone wanted to be in Vikir’s group. However, in this situation, Vikir gave a different answer.

“Well. I’m already in another group.”

“What? Again? It was the same during the midterm exams!”

“This is also a prior arrangement. I apologize.”

All his friends were clearly disappointed, especially Sinclaire, who seemed visibly dejected.

“I really wanted to be in the same group as Big Brother this time…”

“Well, sorry again. This time, I have a pretty clear purpose too.”

Everyone widened their eyes at Vikir’s words.

“…Purpose?”

Vikir revealing his inner thoughts was a first, so everyone momentarily forgot their disappointment and expressed curiosity. Vikir willingly explained the situation.

“If I make it into the top 10 in this competition, I can receive one treasure from the treasure vault jointly managed by the four universities.”

Vikir said this with an unusual twinkle in his eyes. Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire were all surprised by this unexpected revelation. It was the first time they had seen Vikir openly express a desire for something.

“What treasure are you aiming for?”

“I have one in mind.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Oh, come on! We thought you’d finally tell us!”

Tudor, known for his impatience, was the first to protest. Even Sinclaire, who usually kept many secrets, had a glint of excitement in her eyes.

“Big Brother, do you have a specific artifact you’re aiming for?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t you tell your cute little sister~?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Oh, come on! For once, just tell us!”

Vikir’s personality was a mystery, and it was rare to see him openly desiring something.

“Even I have a particular artifact in mind. But you know what? Even if you enter the treasure vault, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a treasure. The artifacts choose you, not the other way around.”

Inside the treasure vault managed by the four major universities were artifacts akin to treasures with profound spiritual attributes. These artifacts, instead of waiting to be chosen by their owners, sought out their masters.

“The artifacts choose their owners, and they stay by the owner’s side until their lifespan ends. After that, they return to the vault.”

Sinclaire added with a playful smile, “In other words, you must choose between artifacts that choose you. You can’t always get your way. If you go into a warehouse and are not chosen by any artifacts, you must apparently leave empty-handed.”

But for Vikir, who retained memories from before the regression, such constraints meant nothing.

‘As long as I can enter the treasure vault, that’s all that matters.’

After all, Vikir’s ultimate goal was not to possess the artifact but to destroy it.

Vikir remembered the target he had in mind for the treasure vault.

‘The seventh corpse: That disgusting demon should be dormant inside the treasure vault.’

The only object-type demon among the ten supreme demon lords.

The seventh demon, Decarabia, was precisely what he sought.